Passenger-traffic-handling apparatus.



PATENTED JUNE-7; 1904.

, w. WELLMAN.

PASSENGER TRAFFIC HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION Hui) nov.14, 1eoa.

N0 MODEL.

' INVENTOR I iflllarney s m S E. W

UNITED STATES Patented June '7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

PASSENGER-TRAFFlC-HANDLING APPARATUS- SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 761,736, dated June '7', 1904. Application filed November 1%, 1908. Serial No. 18l.202. (No model.)

To (all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, VVALTER WELLMAN, of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Passenger Traffic I-Iandling Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. This invention relates to a means for solving the problem of transporting passengers to and from congested business districtssuch, for instance, as the business district of New York and other cities. By present'methods of transportation an increase of the number of trains on a line beyond a certain reasonable maximum tends to reduce the speed. Conversely, an increase of speed requires a curtailment of the number of trains. Thus speed and capacity are factors which work against one another. One of the objects of the present invention is to obviate this antagonism and make additional speed a plus upon the capacity, not a, minus to be taken from it. v With this object in view the invention may be briefly outlined as embodying a train the cars of which consist of regularly-spaced platform or entrance and exit cars with interme diate corridor-cars or cars containing seating facilities, but serving as passage-ways or walks whereby passengers boarding any platform-car may travel forward or back through the corridor-cars to another platform-car, such train being associated with station-platforms spaced apart a distance corresponding to the distance between platform-cars and the length of the train to be extended past a number of stations or in the ideal arrangement to be a substantially continuous or belt train, with facilities for the simultaneous entrance and exit of passengers at all stations. Accordingto the present invention, therefore, it will, be seen that it is proposed to dispense with all car-end steps for entrance and exit and to use instead platform-cars or transfer-platforms, the distance between platforms to be the same as the distance between station-platforms, and the train-platforms and station-platforms are to be of equal length, with the exception that where trafiic is light the station-platform need not be as long as the train-platform, the capacity of a train-platform, however, being preferably as great or greater than the station-platform, thus permitting of the simultaneous boarding or discharge of a large number of passengers.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a transportation system embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view, on an enlarged scale, of a section of the train and three station-platforms. Fig. 3 is a similar view of one stationplatform and train-platform with the ends of the corridor-cars adjacent the latter.

Like letters of reference in the several fig ures indicate the same parts.

In said drawing Fig. 1 a track and train arrangement in the form of a belt or continuous trackand train is shown, this figure be ing intended to represent an ideal embodiment wherein there is a continuous train through the system, but a variation of which results in dividing the train into very long units, as will behereinafter more particularly described. The train in every instanceis composed, iirst, of what I shall herein term corridor-cars, (indicated by the letter A in the drawings,) and,sec0ndly,of train-platforms or platfornrcars' B, regularly spaced in the train to correspond to the spacing of station-platforms O. The arrangement of corridor-cars, train-platforms, and station-platforms will be more readily understood from Figs. Qand 3. Each station platform is preferably partially subdivided by railings (indicated by c) to form the waiting passengers into lines all facing the trackand to compel them to move forward onto the train-platform without congestion at some one or more points. The train-platforms B may be similarly subdivided and in addition are provided with gates (indicated by b) .in charge of gatemen located at Z) or at such intervals as may be found most desirable to handle the trafficat any particular station or time. i

The station and train platforms are preferably of the same capacity, and when a stationplatform is filled it is the intention that no more persons shall be admitted until those already there have boarded the train.

Suitable fixed or movable barriers D may be provided for separating the exit and entering passengers, the object in making such barriers movable being to proportion the space of the platforms in accordance with the direction of travel at different hours. Thus during the morning hours the major part of the movement is in one direction, and in the evening hours it is in the opposite direction, and correspondingly larger or smaller space may be allotted the respective classes of passengers. The corridor-cars are provided with wide aisles forming walks extending from train-platform to train-platform, such aisles, however, being preferably provided with central hand-rails a in short lengths to divide the movement of passengers toward opposite ends of the cars into oppositely-moving streams. The seats a are preferablyindividual and arranged diagonally to give sufficient shoulderroom with a maximum number of seats in a given car length. The seats are also preferably arranged on a slightly-raised platform to protect the feet of sitting persons from interference with persons moving along the aisles.

In operation passengers to board the train assemble on the station-platforms and those to leave the train on the train platforms. When the train. comes to rest with the platforms opposite each other, the gates or doors along the entire side of the train-platform are thrown open, and there is a simultaneous movement of the passengers onto and off of the train, the exit passengers using one end of the platforms and the boarding passengers the opposite end, as determined by the barriers before referred to. The distribution of the passengers on the train commences immediately; but the gates are closed, and the train movement commences while some of the passengers may still be upon the trainplatform, and these passengers are to continue to distribute themselves to seats in the train after the train is in motion.

The facility with which a large number of passengers may be loaded and unloaded is at once apparent, for all may pass onto or off of the train-platform in practically the same time that a single line equal in length to the Width of the platform may do so.

WVhen the trainplatform stops at every station, the passengers may distribute themselves convenient to any train-platform,ready to assemble on such platform before it stops at the desired station, or they may continue to walk through the train, thereby hastening their progress to some extent. It is a highly important feature of the invention, however, that it is not necessary to stop the train-platform at every station; but the train may be run a distance equal to the distance between two, three, or more stations before making a stop, thus giving the train a run two, three, or more times longer between stops than it would have if compelled to stop at every station and enabling it in consequence to run at a much greater average rate of speed, this augmented speed effecting a proportionate addition to the carrying capacity of the system. while at the same time passengers may alight from the train at any station, for when a train-platform stops at one station all the other platforms in that train stop simultal'ieously at other stations and passengers may make their exit from the train through the train-platform which stops abreast the station most convenient for them, the passengers reaching the train-platform which best serves their purpose by walking through the corridor of the train in going to and from their seats. For example, if the train runs two stations from stop to stop a passenger entering the train from station I) and bound for F, H, J, L, &e., would lind his seat as near as he could to the train-platform by which he entered; but if he is bound for (ir, I, K, or M, &c., in finding or leaving his seat he would move either forward or back through one seating-section to the train-platform next forward or next in the rear, both of which will stop at these stations.

By running the train the distance between two stations the capacity of the system for handling seated passengers past a given point per hour is greatly augmented, aml this capacity may be still further augmented with no greater inconvenience to the passenger by a stop at every third station. For example, a passenger entering the train from station I) and bound for (i, J, M, P, &e., would find his seat as near as he could to the trainplatform through which he had entered, as that platform stops at his destination and he is to leave the train through it. If he is bound for H, K, N, Q, &c., in linding and leaving his seat he would move for ard to the next train-platform, which stops at his destination. If he is bound for I, L, O, h, &c., in finding and leaving his seat he would move back to the next traiii-platform in the rear, which stops at his station.

here the stations are arranged in sueceeding series, as last indicated, it may be convenient to designate them and the corresponding train-platforms by red, white, and blue colors, and in operation a passenger entering from a white station through a white train-platform will locate himself near that platform if he is bound for a white station. If he is bound for a red station, he knows that the red platform which he must use in his exit is next to the rear or the. blue is the next forward, and he locates himself on the train accordingly. In lieu of color designations letters or numbers could be used as the distinguishing marks or symbols of stations and train-platforms in regular series, as A,- B, C, zc.,.or 1,2,3,&c.

While the invention has been described in connection with an endless-belt or continuoustrain arrangement, it is obvious that the invention may be carried into effect with independent or very long train units-say six or eight trains of great length and someofwhich may be accelerating while others are retarding or standing.

By employing long train units forming a Sub-. stantially continuous train some of the problems of energy consumption maybe simplified, as the weight to be set in motion and accelerated at any one time may thereby be reduced, and where the motors and carrying-wheels for the train or trains occupy fixed positions along the track,,as has heretofore been proposed, the inertia of the train units being retarded may be utilized to energize motors for those trains units which are being started or the speed of which is being accelerated at the same time.

An example, of the usefulness of th1s invention in securing greater speed and greater capacity may be found in comparison of results to be achieved by adoption of this system and those attained in present practice. An elevated railway, such as the Sixth avenue line in New York city, is able to run a maximum of about sixty six-car trains per hour in one direction, each train carrying two hundred and eighty-eight seated passengers or a total of seventeen thousand two hundred and eighty passengers per hour. "The average scheduled speed of these trains is under fifteen miles per hour, the average distance between stations is seventeen hundred and seventysix feet, and the average distance passengers have to walk upon the street parallel with the railway in going to and from stations is eight hundred and eighty-eight feet for a complete journey. Station-platforms have to be two hundred and forty feet long to provide access to the cars at their ends.

By this invention, using the same tracks as in the foregoing example, by running independent trains each about two miles long and with a headway of about a half-mile between trains upward of one hundred thousand seated passengers could be carried in each direction per hour, and by using the same duration of station stop, the same rate of acceleration, retardation, and full speed as upon the Sixth avenue line the trains could be moved at the net speed of twenty-four miles per hour. Station-platforms would have to be only one hun-' dred feet long. If stations were placed onefifth mile (ten hundred and fifty six feet) apart, the average distance passengers would have to walk upon the street parallel with the railway in going to and from stations in making a complete journey would be only five hundred and twenty-eight feet, and this difference a railway-line like the Sixth avenue elevated would consist of taking the same structure and tracks and increasing sixfold the number of passengers carried, a nearly twofold increase of the average speed, and greater convenience to passengers in getting to and from stations.

In the ideal arrangement of a continuous train,to which this invention is so well adapted,- the number of seated passengers carried in each direction per hour could be approxi- 'mately one hundred and thirty thousand,

with the same speed and the same conven ience to passengers provided by the operation of independent trains in long units.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A means for handling passenger traiiic embodying a train having a series of trainplatforms, passage-ways for the movement of passengers from one train-platform to another and station-platforms spaced "apart to correspond to the distances between the train-platforms; substantially as described.

2. A means for handling passenger'traffic embodying a train composed of corridor-cars having passage-ways for the movement of passengers throughout the train, train-platforms intermediate the corridor-cars and spaced regular distances apart and stationplatforms spaced apart distances corresponding to the spacing of, the train-platform; substantially as described.

3. In passenger-trafiic-handling apparatus, the combination with a series of stations each having a platform, of a train unit of greater spacing of the stations and cars intermediate said train-platforms having passage-ways for the movement of passengers from one platform to another; substantially as described.

&

5. In passenger-traflic-handling apparatus, the combination with a series of stations equally spaced apart, of a train of suehlength as to extend past said series of stations and having periodic movements greater than the distance between adjacent stations, said train being composed of train platforms equally spaeedapart to correspond to the spacing of the stations and cars intermediate the trainplatforms having passage-ways for themovement of passengers from one platform to another; substantially as described.

6. In passenger-trafi ic-handling apparatus, the combination with a continuous train embodying train-platforms and cars intermediate said platforms having passages for the movement of passengers from one platform to another, of station-platforms spaced apart dis tances corresponding to the distances between train-platforms; substantially as described.

7. In passenger-tralfic-handling apparatus,

the combination with stations spaced predetermined distances apart, of acontinuous train having periodic movements greater than the distance between adjacent stations and embodying train-platforms spaced to correspond to the spacing of the stations whereby a trainplatform is in proximity to each station at every stop and cars intermediate the trainplatforms having passages for the movement of passengers from one platform to another; substantially as described.

8. In passenger-trafficdiandling apparatus the combination with stations arranged in similarly-designated succeeding series, of a substantially continuous train having trainplatforms designated to correspond to the station designations, platforms and stations of like designation all being brought into proximity at each train stop and said train having periodic movements equal in length to the distance between proximate stations ol like designation; substantially as described.

9. In passengertraliic-handhng apparatus,

succeeding series, each station in aseries being differently designated and the relative designations and spacing of the stations in all the series being similar, of a substantially continuous train having series of train-platlorms spaced and designated to correspond to the stations, said train having periodic movements corresponding to the distance between stations of similar designation; substmitially as described.

10. In passenger-trafiic-handlingapparatns, the combination with a train embodying cars for the occupancy of the passengers while in transit and platform-cars for use in boarding and leaving the train, of station-platlorms with which the platform-cars register when the train is at rest, said station-platforms being subdivided by railings extending transversely of the length of the platform-cars to direct the passenger movement in orderly line formation onto the platform-cars; substantiall y as described.

11. In passenger-trafiic-handling apparatus, the combination with a train embodying ears for the occupancy of the passengers during transit and platform-cars for use in boarding and leaving the train, of station-platlorms with which the platform-ears register when the train is at rcstand movable barriers extending transversely of the platform-cars and sta tion platforms for separating the passengers boarding and leaving the platlorm-cars; substantially as described.

\VAL'ITER \V lCLLh I A N.

\Vitn esses:

JOHN C. DAvInsoN, J. S. FnN'ron.

the combination with stations divided into I 

